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Chicken Tagine: Cooking Like a True Moroccan

Jul 13 by Chef Hollie Greene Leave a Comment

If you can make a pot roast, you can make chicken tagine. Believe me when I say that Moroccan cooking is as easy to learn and embrace as our own favorite one-pot family meals. At least, that’s what I learned from my cooking class with Chef Tarik Ait Yahya at Atelier De Cuisine, an organic farm and cooking school just outside of Marrakech, Morocco, this past June.

I’d admit it. At first I was skeptical of this prearranged cooking class. If you’re nodding your head with me now, then I know for sure you’ve done the cheesy holiday cooking class. As a chef, I’m always entertained, but generally, I find them dull and very hands-off. Not this time. We literally got our hands dirty.

photo provided by Atelier de Cuisine

But before I dive into the organic garden where we picked our produce, or the village walk, or fresh bread making or the various recipes we made, first let me paint the scene for you. Take a seat. Imagine you’re sitting down on a very colorful Berber carpet. Take your shoes off. First, there will be a tea lesson with our tea master, Hassan.

If you didn’t catch my post from last week, you’ll find that this was one of the six reasons I fell in love with Moroccan cuisine and culture. Not only did Hassan serve us one of the most elegant teas I tasted while visiting Morocco, but he also taught us the six essential steps to making delicious mint tea…

Add loose leaf green tea to a small tea pot. For 3-4 people, about 3 teaspoons.
Add hot (basically lightly simmering) water mid-way up the pot.
Put the pot back on the charcoal (or in our case the burner) for about 4 minutes or until it boils. Take it off the heat at this point.
Add your herbs (mint primarily but you can also use lemon verbena, lemon grass, absinthe, sage, or marjoram as well), plus sugar (about 3 cubes). The sugar keeps the mint from turning black and “burning.”
Do not use a spoon to mix! The Moroccan way it to pour a glass; then pour that glass back into the pot on top, which helps mix up the tea. Do this several times to get a good but gentle mix. Check on one of the last pours that you’re getting good bubbles when you pour the tea. Hassan says that means the sugar has melted.
Hold the pot close to the glass and then get higher and higher away until you’ve poured a frothy cup of tea (big foam!). And say, “bisaha” as you toast your friends, which means “good health” in arabic!

Atelier de Cuisine, Jardin Potager Bio, was started by Chef Tarik Harabida, a culinary veteran with 27 years in the industry. He had a dream of teaching visitors how delicious and healthy his cuisine was by bringing them to a self-sustaining organic vegetable garden where they could pick their ingredients, work as a team, and learn the fundamentals (with a modern twist or two) of cooking like a true Moroccan at home. What I love most about this organic teaching farm and cooking school is that it gives women of the village sustainable work–making local cheeses and breads served at the class, among other ways they support one another.

What made our class truly memorable was the way our teacher, Tarik Ait Yahya, made us feel confident that we could master his cuisine by breaking it down into 4 easy-to-remember spice combinations. That was all we needed to know for the day to master the recipes we’d be making. Wait for it. You will fall off your chair when you hear this. Chicken tagine with preserved lemons and green olive has only two dried spices in the recipe besides salt and pepper. Can you guess what they are?!!

No, it’s not cumin or paprika or cinnamon or sumac. Ginger and turmeric–even I can remember that combo–is all you need! Well, of course we also flavored our dish with diced onion, fresh lemon juice, garlic, cilantro, parsley, and a pinch of salt and pepper. And it works. How do I know it wasn’t just a crazy vacation memory? I tested the recipe this week in my home kitchen. To the best of my vacation memory it went like this…

First the chicken goes into the tagine. Don’t make the mistake I did back at home and ignore Tarik’s suggestion to use a mix of pieces. Go for dark meat cuts + the breast. Dark meat is where the flavor’s at ya’ll.

Then, you top it with your diced red onion, minced garlic, lemon juice, spices, and a few heaping pinches of cilantro and parsley.

And as I shared last week, make it look beautiful since Moroccans eat with their eyes first, by topping it with your preserved lemon slices, olives, and a little sprig of parsley.

In just 45 minutes, without fuss or stress, you’ve got a succulent and tender chicken tagine that’s oozing with flavors that make you feel like you’re on a Mediterranean island (and in our case in Morocco, with sweltering heat)! The dish is sublime as is, or you can serve a simple couscous on the side to sop up all of those succulent juices at the bottom of the tagine.

And of course, if we’re really cooking like true Moroccans, there will be plenty of beautiful vegetable sides to complement our meaty dish. But I’ve got to save some of this deliciousness for my post next week when I’ll be sharing Tarik’s favorite Moroccan summer salad of charred green peppers and juicy summer tomatoes.

Chef Tarik’s Preserved Lemon Chicken Tagine

2015-07-07 13:49:49

Serves 4

Adapted slightly (based on my memory) from the original recipe we learned from Chef Tarik Ait Yahya at Atelier de Cuisine outside Marrakech, Morocco

Save Recipe

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr

Ingredients

Chicken (skinless), four pieces of white and dark meat
Red onion, 1
Ground ginger, 1 tsp.
Turmeric, 1 tsp.
Salt, approximately ¼ tsp.
Black pepper, ¼ tsp.
Lemon juice from 1 lemon
Garlic, 2 cloves
Olive oil, 3 TBS.
Cilantro, ¼ cup
Parsley, ¼ cup
Preserved lemon, 1
Green olives, ½ cup

Prep

Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
Wash all produce.
Dice onion and set aside.
Mince garlic and place into a small bowl with the juice of the lemon.
Rough chop cilantro and parsley, and measure out the spices, and salt and pepper into a bowl.
Rinse preserved lemon under water to remove excess salt. Then cut into quarters and remove pulp, keeping the peel only.
Drain olives from their juice.

Cook

Place chicken into tagine first (meat side up).
Top with red onions.
Pour lemon juice and minced garlic on top.
Sprinkle fresh herbs, olive oil and spices next over the top.
Lastly, top with the preserved lemons and olives. You can add a few extra sprigs of parsley on top.
Over medium low heat, cook for about 10 minutes. Remove cover and flip chicken pieces over to ensure they’re getting heat on all sides. Add about ¼ cup water and mix together.
Continue cooking over low heat for another 35 minutes. About mid-way through this cooking time, flip and baste chicken again with the accumulated juices in the tagine.
Enjoy served alongside your favorite preparation of couscous and moroccan salads. To the top of our couscous, we’ve added some caramelized onion and about ¼ cup of rehydrated yellow raisins I cooked in a pinch each of cinnamon, cayenne, sugar and water--for a little extra fun.

Cooking note

When we tested this dish back in my home kitchen, we made the mistake of only using two bone-in chicken breasts. Our tagine is quite small, and this fit perfectly. However, I’d always advise a mixture of dark and white meat to provide maximum flavor for this dish. Next time, I’ll be going for 4-6 chicken thighs vs. two chicken breasts. Dark meat has more flavor! In addition, really watch the amount of salt you put in your dish. Preserved lemons and olives are full of salt and flavor, without the need to add salt to this dish.

Cooking equipment

If you do not have a tagine, you can use a Dutch Oven. The conical shape of the tagine allows for moisture to circulate in a way that creates a deep flavor and holds the moisture in the meat. However, this is just a low and slow cooking method, which a dutch oven can handle well, as it holds a nice seal and conducts heat evenly.

By Chef Tarik

JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Six Ways I Fell in Love with Moroccan Cuisine And Culture

Jul 6 by Chef Hollie Greene 4 Comments

During May of this year, I spent two weeks traveling around Morocco with my husband, Jim. From Casablanca to Rabat, Fes, Erfoud, Skoura, Marrakech, and Essaouira, I fell in love with a culture that expresses its love for guests and family through food. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of these rich experiences through the blog–hope you’ll enjoy the journey with me!

Bring on the spice! That’s what I wrote on a vision board almost two years ago–next to a big picture of spices in a Moroccan market. That picture of vibrant turmeric, paprika, and Ras el Hanout had captured my spirit. My synapses were firing.

I knew a culinary journey to Northern Africa would happen. I just didn’t know when. I was being pulled toward this exotic continent I needed to explore.

I’m a traveler. It’s part of my identity. My first trip to a far away land was to China and Tibet when I was only sixteen years old. Since that first taste of immersing myself completely in another culture, I’ve craved these experiences–from living in France and Brazil–to learning to cook in Greece and Italy. The further away from my own culture, the better for me.

So when I researched and read every great travel book, blog, and cookbook I could get my hands on, especially Paula Wolfert’s The Food of Morocco, I felt somewhat prepared to land in Morocco with a semblance of my bearings.

One of the very first things I do before traveling is to write down all of the foods, spices, and regional dishes I must check off the list–no matter how bizarre or scary. It helps me feel grounded when I first scan a foreign menu or walk through a market in that country. But for this trip, I wasn’t prepared for how much I’d fall in love with the mannerisms, gentleness, and joy that awaited me in every Berber friend I met, every city we visited, and in every meal I encountered. These six discoveries are just a glimpse of my culinary adventures while traveling in Morocco.

#1 Moroccans eat with their eyes first

From the overflowing souks to the way mint tea is served, shopping, eating, and drinking in Morocco is a feast for the eyes.

Colors, textures, and the heavenly smells of food being prepared–made my senses feel alive as we winded through the busy medinas (oldest part of town) and the Mellahs (Jewish quarter of town).

Whenever you arrive in a hotel, someone’s home, or even when I needed those impromptu bio breaks in a merchant’s store, Moroccans will always offer you a warm glass of mint tea and often something even sweeter to munch on with it. Lifting the pot very high to pour the tea is not just for show but to create a wonderfully aerated glass of tea; almost like the head on a well poured beer, this is a sign the tea is made well.

#2 Food in Morocco is an expression of love and welcoming

To offer your guest waaaay more food than they could possibly eat is a sign of being welcomed and loved. It’s a feast in every sense. And don’t worry–cause I checked–nothing gets wasted!

At almost every meal, there was the option to start with Moroccan salads or a nice warm pureed vegetable soup. From cumin laced carrots, to savory charred eggplant spreads, to light and fresh roasted green pepper and tomato salads, these seven to eight small dishes were presented all at once and served with warm freshly baked bread. Just the sight of these gorgeous plates made us feel loved and cared for! Can you imagine if every American meal started with such a spread of veggies?

#3 You really do need the sugar in mint tea!

Westerners often ask if they can have their tea without sugar. What I learned from our tea master, Hassan, while cooking at Atelier de Cuisine outside of Marrakech is that a little bit of sugar is absolutely necessary. It keeps the fresh mint from turning black!

Hassan is what Chef Tarik Ait Yahya calls a tea master. He knows exactly the right amount to crack off of the large cylinder of sugar to go with the fresh mint and other herbs he’s picked, and Hassan is an expert in knowing when the tea is just right to pour. Starting low and holding the pot higher and higher in the air, his cups of this sweet nectar, the Moroccans call their “whiskey”, is light and refreshing and perfectly sweet–even on the hottest of North African days. If you want to learn how to make tea like Hassan, I’m a big fan of this beautiful tutorial by Honestly Yum.

#4 These 4 spice combos are all you need to know

On one of my favorite days in Morocco, we cooked at Atelier de Cuisine outside of Marrakech. In my post next week, I’m going to share more about that day and the amazing chicken tagine recipe we learned from Chef Tarik and his assistant Joseph. But here’s what I think you MUST know right now–and not wait another minute of your life to find out…

These four spice combos are all you need to know to start cooking like a true Moroccan:

Sweet: use with dishes like lamb tagine with prunes, or dishes where you’d add dried fruits: cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric
Lemon: this spice combo goes with chicken: ginger and turmeric.
Normal: use with vegetable dishes, like vegetable tagine or couscous with vegetables: ginger, turmeric, sweet paprika.
Normal with cumin added: use this spice combo in fish tagine or roasted eggplant salads!

#5 Spices in Morocco have a hypnotic effect on me

Um, the bottom line is that I really do have a spice problem! That is, I may have purchased too many spices on my trip and will be looking for ways to use them up over the coming months. My spice consultant in Marrakech, Bushra, which means “good news” in Arabic, wasn’t concerned though. She thought I did well!

Saffron grown in Morocco, Ras el Hanout, sweet paprika, long pepper, not to mention some spice combos that have romantic effects on the user–these were all so exciting to learn about–and yes, many did come home with me. Can you blame me?!

#6 Language is culture–learn a few new words to warm your host’s heart

What my husband and I loved most about our trip was that we made two very good friends, Mustafa, our country guide, and Younis, our driver. We spent hours upon hours together over those thirteen days in Morocco–much of which was spent laughing while we learned. French is a language that was given to Moroccans by the colonials, but they are Berbers and Arabs from dynasties before, and that is the language that is their culture. When Mustafa taught us each day to speak a few words in arabic or berber, so that we could thank new friends, tell them food was delicious, and wish them well, that was when we made lasting connections. You see, when it comes to learning about a new land, you must learn a little bit of their language. It warms the hearts of your new friends and helps you understand their beautiful culture.

Ashley Koff’s Approved Spring Veggies

May 25 by Chef Hollie Greene Leave a Comment

Spring is wrapping up now, and while I’m looking forward to sharing some fine summer recipes with you all, I will miss the spring lineup. We’ve spent plenty of time talking about the histories, both public and personal, behind our favorite spring vegetables, but hey- what about the nutrition?

Here then is a rundown of the nutritional benefits behind some perennial spring faves from Ashley Koff Approved, reprinted with her permission. Ashley Koff RD is an award-winning dietitian and creator of the Better Nutrition, Simplified program. You can read the original post and many others, here.

ASPARAGUS

Asparagus is one of the most versatile spring vegetables with a long list of health benefits. Asparagus contains the antioxidant glutathione (GSH), which can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It also contains inulin, which is a carbohydrate that is not broken down by the human body. Inulin is considered a prebiotic, which becomes a food source for probiotics in the large intestine and supports digestive health. Asparagus is also a good source of Vitamins C, E, and K, folate, and zinc. Asparagus is great roasted, grilled, steamed, pureed into soups or baked into frittatas.

RADISHES

This crunchy spring root vegetable varies in flavor from sweet to peppery can be eaten raw, pickled, or cooked. Radishes are a good source of vitamin C, which help detoxify your body and support a healthy immune system. Radishes are also a good source of potassium, which has been to shown to relax blood vessels and helps to reduce blood pressure. Radishes are a great way to add crunch and texture to your food for very few calories (25 calories/cup, sliced).

SUGAR SNAP PEAS

Sugar snap peas are a cross between green peas and snow peas. Sugar snap peas are a great low-calorie snack option and are a good source of folic acid, which is required for DNA synthesis – and Vitamin K, which plays a key role in the blood clotting. We love snacking of sugar snap peas raw, with dips, and used in stir-fry recipes.

BROCCOLETTE

This hybrid vegetable of Chinese kale and broccoli is similar in flavor to asparagus. Like other members of the cruciferous vegetable family, broccolette is a good source of dietary fiber, which supports a healthy digestive system. It also contains glucosinolates, which are antioxidants that may have a role in reducing the risk of certain types of cancers. Broccolette can be enjoyed similar to broccoli – steamed or roasted as a side dish, tossed into your favorite pasta recipe, or even made into a pesto like this recipe courtesy of Earthbound Farm Organics.

RHUBARB

Rhubarb is most popularly known for it’s role in baked goods like pies and often paired with sweeter fruits like strawberries to compliment its tartness. Though it is normally treated like a fruit, rhubarb is actually a vegetable. Rhubarb is high in fiber, and high in vitamin A, which is an important vitamin for eye health. Rhubarb when it is cooked is also one of the best plant sources of calcium. Rhubarb is a great addition to any baked pies or cakes or thickened to a sauce. Make sure to remove the leaves of the rhubarb plant, they contain a poisonous substance called oxalic acid.

MANGOS

“King of Fruits” – Mangos provide just 100 calories per cup and 100% of your daily value of vitamin C. Mangos are also high in vitamin B6, which is necessary in the production of the inhibitory transmitter in the brain, GABA. Mango can be added to sweet and savory dishes. We love adding mangos to our smoothies and making salsas with it to pair over fish. When choosing a ripe mango, the skin should be firm but give a little when pressed with your thumb.

HONEYDEW

There is nothing more refreshing than biting into a juicy piece of melon as the days become warmer. Honeydew is nature’s candy with many nutrient benefits. Honeydew is roughly 90% water, which makes it a filling snack at just 60 calories per cup. Paired with potassium, honeydew may have a role in regulating blood pressure levels. Like other melons, honeydew is also a good source of vitamin c, which helps produce collagen for healthier looking skin. Honeydew can be paired with protein-rich Greek yogurt or in a tomato salad with feta cheese.

These are just a few of our favorite flavors of spring. Take a stroll to your local farmers market and see what else spring has to offer. Eating seasonally and locally tastes better and is easier on the wallet, as farmers are usually willing to strike a deal – even on organic!

Take Back Lunch—With My Spring Build-a-Veggie-Toast Bar!

May 6 by Chef Hollie Greene Leave a Comment

We’re joining Healthy Planet US this month to “take back lunch!” During May, you can join in this deliciously fun 21-day healthy cooking challenge. It’s easy to join: register at https://healthyplanetus.org/21daychallenge/. On May 11th, they will be giving away three Joyful 12 memberships, so be sure to register to receive daily updates and inspiration!

I was never a PB&J kid. I didn’t like sandwiches at all. Orange squares of cheddar cheese, atop salty crunchy Triscuits with a medley of fruit—this, I relished. But the sad bologna squares my friends ate with their Cheetos were not for me. From a very young age, I knew lunch was more than calories to fill my stomach. It was a chance to laugh and talk with my friends while munching on a small meal that satisfied my precocious need for variety, texture, and colorful bites to sample.

Not much has changed. When I’m cooking with kids or teaching adults in a class, I love to expand their ideas of what a tasty but simple lunch can look like. Ingredients are paramount, and my preference is to start with the vegetables first and build the rest of the meal around them. That’s fairly easy, when you begin with what’s in season. Right now, I’m seeing peas, radishes, and strawberries everywhere, so that’s where I begin.

When our partners and good friends at Healthy Planet US, Bryan Jersky, Chief Grower and CEO, and Erinn Butulis, Head of Storytelling, asked me if I’d like to share a fun recipe for their take back lunch challenge, I knew I’d need to channel my inner child to share a simple yet fun way to incorporate vegetables into the beloved sandwich—with an open-faced twist. My dislike for sandwiches hasn’t budged much in twenty years (or so!), but my love of savory and sweet spreads on artisan breads has just begun.

Toast bars and featured specialty toast menu items are all the rage now, and not just in San Francisco. Thick slices of homemade breads perfectly toasted with rich, creamy, and crunchy toppings satisfy customers’ basic needs to feel nourished and delighted. While, I’m a huge fan of supporting these restaurants, as a cook I know that in my own home kitchen, I can recreate these experiences, get more value for my dollar and even make them more vegetable focused.

This spring I’m making two cream cheese based spreads in the Joyful 12 that are made with radishes and are perfect on toasts and to dip spring veggies into as a snack for kids. Bringing back one of my childhood favorites, strawberry cream cheese, I mix fresh radishes, strawberries, and cream cheese together with just a hint of honey to produce a creamy pink spread that’s perfect on bagels and toasts alike. Using the same method, I can quickly switch up the flavors by using the ranch flavorings in my “Easy Homemade Ranch Dip”, mixing dried parsley, granulated onion, salt and pepper, with cream cheese and grated radishes. Just a warning—this dip can be very addictive!

The really fun part of making your own food is the twists and turns that can happen when you start with a recipe you know and trust but then deviate with whatever is on hand. This is exactly what happened with my pea toasts. I figured if radish spreads were delicious on toast, why wouldn’t a pea spread work as well! The French adore the simple pleasure of fresh, organic butter on toast topped with spring radish and a sprinkle of salt. Thus, my pea butter was created as a deviation from a classic that works—but with a pea perfect twist. Believe me, when you eat one of my creamy sweet pea butter toasts with crunchy sugar snaps on top, you’ll be glad you took back lunch by making it yourself!

A Rainbow of Radish and Spring Pea Toasts

2015-05-05 16:07:54

Serves 4

Save Recipe

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

35 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

35 min

Ingredients

Red radish, 1 bunch (divided)
Breakfast radish, 1 bunch
Sugar snap peas, 1 cup
Bread, your favorite toast bread (4-6 slices)

Sweet Strawberry and Radish Cream Cheese Dip

Strawberries (fresh), 5
Cream cheese, 8oz
Red radish, 5 (from your bunch)
Honey, 1/2 TBS

Savory Red Radish Cream Cheese Dip

Red radish, 5 (from your bunch)
Cream cheese, 8 oz
Parsley (dried), 1 tsp
Onion (dried), 1 tsp
Salt, 1/4 tsp
Black pepper, 1/4 tsp

Sweet pea butter

Unsalted organic butter, 4 TBS
Organic frozen sweet peas, ½ cup
Tarragon (fresh), 2 tsp.
Salt, ½ tsp
Zest of 1 orange

Prep

Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
Wash all produce.
Bring cream cheese and butter to room temperature.
If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling salted water for 1 minute, remove and drain before using to make the pea butter. If using frozen peas, bring to room temperature before using to make the pea butter.
For the mixture of radishes you’ll use to top the toasts, cut into thin rounds and set aside.
Snap peas used for topping your pea butter toasts can be left whole or sliced down the middle to reveal their interior peas.

Assemble

For either of the radish dips, blend the 5 radishes that go into the dip in the food processor until finely grated.
Then, add all other ingredients, depending on which dip you’ve chosen, and room temperature cream cheese. Blend until smooth in a bowl with a fork or spatula.
To make pea butter: smash peas with a fork. Smash butter until creamy with a fork (or use your food processor). Combine peas, tarragon, butter and salt and set aside.
Toast your bread and build your toasts using the pea butter topped with sugar snaps, or a radish toast with either radish dip topped with thinly sliced radishes. Enjoy these delicious toasts as a lunch, a healthy snack, or use the dips with fresh veggies in your packed lunch!

By Chef Hollie

JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Lemony Artichoke Mini Polenta Pizzas

Apr 27 by Chef Hollie Greene Leave a Comment

When I was just a little Southern girl who knew nothing about artichokes, my bonus mom Debbie, who had grown up in California, showed me the light. I haven’t met a vegetable since that tickles my heart so much. Peeling back those meaty leaves, one-by-one, to finally reach the golden heart of the artichoke was truly exciting and helped me see vegetables in a whole new light as a kid. To this day, it is one of my fondest memories. Dunking and dipping those leaves into a lemony homemade sauce was pure joy (and yes–it was Duke’s mayonnaise with some extra lemon mixed in–we’re Southern afterall)!

Nowadays, I always have jarred artichoke hearts in my pantry year round. They are certainly not the same as a fresh artichoke, but if I can’t find good chokes in season, I can at least relish their perfect hearts in my pastas and pizzas.

The thing about working with fresh artichokes is that you need just a little bit more time to prepare them, and I like to give families an option to still enjoy this seasonal spring vegetable but in a way that’s fast and easy. I love to work with polenta as my pizza base because its creamy texture is divine with the texture of artichoke hearts. It’s also a great way to create a gluten free version of pizza and not feel deprived in the least.

Whether you have small kids or teens in the house, this recipe is perfect for allowing each family member to cut their own mini pizza with a cookie cutter and decide how much of the sauteed topping and grated cheese they’d like to enjoy.

This spring, we’re lucky to have a high school senior joining our team to complete her Capstone project. Elena Dennis is one of the most inspirational young women I’ve ever met. She is the founder and director of a free summer cooking camp for kids, Camp Cauliflower, that teaches children in the Novato California school system how to prepare fresh, healthy meals that are delicious. I know the impact she’s had, as we had many of her campers in our Joyful 12 School Project this spring, and they were some of our most eager students.

Please join me in welcoming Elena to the team by leaving a comment on this post. And if you’re feeling extra generous, check out her Kickstarter campaign to make year two of Camp Cauliflower even more successful.

Lemony Artichoke Mini Polenta Pizzas

2015-04-23 14:11:59

Serves 4

Culinary note: you’ll need to make the polenta ahead, and let it sit in the refrigerator to cool and firm up for 30 minutes before you’re ready to bake these little mini pizzas. I like to make polenta as our starch for a meal and then use the leftovers the next day to make pizza!

Save Recipe

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

25 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

25 min

Ingredients

Polenta, 1 cup
Bay leaf, 1
Olive oil, 3 Tbsp. (divided)
Salt, 1 ½ tsp. (divided)
Black pepper, ¼ tsp.
Cheddar cheese, 5 oz. (divided), grated
Yellow onion, ½
Rosemary, 4 sprigs
Artichoke hearts, 11 oz.
Aleppo pepper (or red pepper flakes), 1 tsp.
Lemon, ½

Prep

Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
Place 4 cups of water, ½ -tablespoon olive oil, 1-teaspoon salt and the bay leaf in a medium sized pot and bring to a boil.
When the water comes to a boil, start adding the polenta slowly, like it’s raining.
When all the polenta has been added to the water, bring back down to a low simmer and keep stirring for about five minutes. Cover and let cook on low heat another 7-10 minutes (about 15 minutes total cooking time depending on how fine or coarse the polenta is that you are using).
To finish the polenta: turn the heat off and add 1/2 cup of the grated cheese and stir again. Check for seasoning; add ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Pour the warm polenta out on a cookie sheet and spread until you have an even medium thickness shaped in a rectangle. Place in the refrigerator to speed up the process of setting the “crust.”
While polenta is setting, drain artichoke hearts from their can, chop rosemary, and dice onion.
Preheat oven to 450F.

Cook

In a preheated sauté pan, use 2 tablespoons olive oil and sauté diced onion with ¼ teaspoon salt and chopped rosemary for two minutes.
Add artichokes and Aleppo pepper flakes, along with the juice of ½ lemon and continue cooking another 2-3 minutes.
To make pizzas: 1) cut out polenta with a cookie cutter and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, 2) spread some grated cheese on top, 3) top with artichoke heart mixture, 3) sprinkle a little more cheese and drizzle lightly with olive oil, and 4) you can sprinkle a little more fresh rosemary on top, as desired.
Bake for 12-15 minutes at 450F.

By Chef Hollie

JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Veggie Fried Rice–My go-to Meatless Monday Meal!

Jan 19 by Chef Hollie Greene Leave a Comment

Every week, we have to figure out what to cook while also handling the one million other chores our lives demand. It ain’t easy! But when it comes to Mondays, I love getting off to a great start by joining families across the nation in eating a meatless meal.

Almost seven years ago, I started teaching cooking to kids in the New York Housing authority as part of my job as a chef instructor at The Sylvia Center. We focused on what was growing in season, always cooking one savory vegetable dish and one sweet dish for dessert in class. Every now and then, a child would ask, “Hey, where’s the meat?” Our answer was simple but true, “You already know how to eat meat! We’re going to focus on learning how delicious vegetables and fruits can be.” Usually, that’s the last I’d hear about the meat!

The key to our success was keeping the recipes simple, focusing on flavor, and introducing new vegetables and fruits in a way the kids were already familiar with, like veggie fried rice. It’s one of those recipes that even today I use and tweak by season in my Joyful 12 Kitchen Learning Lab and in my own home kitchen.

So when you’re scratching your head about what to cook on Meatless Monday, don’t sweat it. My Sweet Treat to Eat Kohlrabi and Sweet Potato Fried Rice is guaranteed to be easy and please your entire family.

Here are my two tips to make this your go-to Meatless Monday meal of choice:

Shorten your cooking time by saving some of your brown rice from take-out or from another meal that required you to cook it. The texture of fried rice is best when cold rice is used instead of freshly cooked!
Use frozen veggies when fresh are not available. Fried rice is SO forgiving. The rule I use is to keep it colorful. Maybe you’ll put in frozen peas and frozen broccoli but add a fresh carrot or red bell pepper to keep a fresh taste and crunchy texture.

If you want to learn how to cook veggies your kids will demand, join my Joyful 12 Online Kitchen Learning Lab. You will learn over 100 family friendly, gluten and allergy free, recipes to love cooking and eating seasonal veggies every month of the year and improve the health of your children with JOY!

Sweet Treat To Eat Kohlrabi and Sweet Potato Fried Rice

2015-01-14 16:18:55

Serves 4

Culinary note: this recipe requires pre-cooked brown rice. A great shortcut is to use up extra from take-out. Fried rice actually works best with cold rice which guarantees that perfect chewy-tender texture. Otherwise, you will need to cook 2 cups dry brown rice to yield the 6 cups cooked this recipe is created for. Follow the cooking instructions on the rice packaging.

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Prep Time

25 min

Cook Time

15 min

Prep Time

25 min

Cook Time

15 min

Ingredients

kohlrabi (purple or green), 1 small to medium
green onion, 1 bunch
sweet potato, 1 small
bok choy, 2 medium
eggs, 2
coconut oil, 2-3 TBS
hoisin, 3 TBS
worcestershire sauce, gluten free, 3 TBS
rice wine vinegar, 2 TBS (or 1 lime)
sriracha, 1 tsp
tamari (gluten free soy sauce), 2 TBS
brown rice, 6 cups cooked
cilantro (fresh), 1 small bunch

Prep

Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
Wash all produce.
Cut green onions into rounds. Separate the white bottoms from the green tops. You’ll cook the white bottoms and save the green tops to garnish the fried rice.
Peel and grate sweet potato on the big holes of a cheese grater.
Cut bok choy into small pieces.
Peel and cut kohlrabi into rounds. Then cut slices and then dice.
Chop cilantro leaves and set aside for a garnish.

Cook

Preheat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium high heat. You want a pan large enough to eventually hold all the vegetables, plus the cooked rice.
Add two tablespoons coconut oil to the preheated pan.
Add the whites of the green onion and the grated sweet potato. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the bok choy and diced kohlrabi. Add another ½ to 1 tablespoon coconut oil to the pan. Saute another minute.
Add worcestershire sauce, hoisin, tamari (gluten free soy sauce), rice wine vinegar, and sriracha to the pan. Stir into the veggie mixture. Sauté another minute to combine flavors.
Add the cooked brown rice to the pan and keep cooking for another minute or until heated through.
With your spoon, move rice and veggie mixture to the left side of the pan. Add the two beaten eggs to the right side and quickly scramble. Then mix both together with your spoon.
To serve, garnish the stir fry with the green tops of the spring onions and some chopped cilantro for color and texture.

By Chef Hollie

JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

A Community Gathers Around Cauliflower

Oct 13 by Chef Hollie Greene Leave a Comment

A special thank you to Laura Dudnick of the San Francisco Examiner, who covered our story so beautifully in her article on Friday, October 10th, “SF Cooking Class Offers Food Knowledge to Former Inmates.“

So often we want big change, and we want it immediately. But lasting change happens over time and in small, but positive increments. You can not possibly teach someone everything they’ll ever need to know about improving their health through food in just one cooking class, but you can set the stage in that class to inspire each and every student to want to keep learning from that point forward. Believe it or not, change can begin with even the most humble plate of roasted cauliflower.

That’s exactly what happened this past Monday at our Transitions Clinic Kitchen Warriors, Food For Health, event with CUESA (Center for Urban Education About Sustainable Agriculture) and Chef Annie Hanrahan of Y.U.M. Chefs. I was asked by the Director of Transitions Clinic, Dr. Shira Shavit, to create an event that would inspire and teach Health Care Workers of the Transitions Clinic the cooking and nutrition skills to go back to their 13 clinics in six states in the US and teach their patients how to use food as another tool in improving their health.

Transitions Clinics provide tailored medical care to chronically ill people who have recently come home from prison, and what’s special about their Community Health Care Workers is not only that they help patients navigate the medical system and social services, but that they’ve once been incarcerated themselves. They know the obstacles these returning prisoners are facing: over 90% are food insecure because they do not have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and productive life. Which is why so many patients find themselves having to skip meals when they once had three provided daily.

Given that September was Hunger Awareness month, this opportunity was even more special to me. The Transitions Clinic Community Health Care Workers connect their patients to the resources and access to food, which are two of the biggest components to food security. And yet, there is a third component to food security which is still lacking —after resources and access—the skill to prepare the fresh food they’ve received in an easy, nutritious, and delicious way.

So for my event, I knew that we had to inspire these teachers that face so many obstacles in helping their patients with one first positive experience: our cauliflower tasting. I strategically put a tasting at the beginning of class to ensure our participants would know that 1) taste is paramount in enjoying fresh foods vs. processed foods, and 2) that eating well could be simple and delicious. If you could have been a fly on the wall that night, you would have seen the room come alive! “This is as good as potato chips!” “Are you sure there isn’t butter on this cauliflower? Just olive oil, salt, and cumin?” “Really, it’s that simple to prepare?”

You see, in order to think about vegetables and fruits first, every day, when you have access and resources to feed yourself, you must place taste above all else. Researchers have found that in general, taste is the most important influence on food consumption, followed by cost, nutrition, convenience, and weight control, in that order. As a chef, when I can teach people how to make vegetables taste great and cook them in an easy way—I’m helping them remove some important barriers to eating for health.

So for this event, we focused on taste from beginning to end, and the joy that filled the room was electric! From our nutrition lesson with Chef Annie, learning how to cook brown rice, how to measure the content of added sugars in our favorite beverages, and how to get more fresh veggies into our diets daily, to my how to roast a whole chicken lesson, knife skills and our veggie chili cook off with the secret ingredient table, a community came together with the humble beginnings of a simple but positive experience with roasted cauliflower.

This month and always, start with small, positive changes and share what you learn with others. Never underestimate just how much you can impact your own community to make food for health a daily decision that’s easy and joyful!

Cumin Roasted Cauliflower

2014-10-10 13:51:57

Serves 4

Save Recipe

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

30 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

30 min

Ingredients

Cauliflower, 1 medium
Cumin, 1 tsp.
Olive oil, 3 TBS
Salt, 1/2 tsp.

Prep

Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
Wash all produce.
Preheat oven to 425F.

To prep the cauliflower

Pull off the tough outer green leaves.
Cut the cauliflower through its core, forming two halves.
Cut those in half again to have 4 working parts.
Cut the core or tough stem off each of the 4 parts with a knife and use your fingers to tear off the florets, the small clusters of flowers.

Cook

Toss cauliflower florets in olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle the cumin on top of the florets.
Cook 15-20 minutes or until browned on one side.

By Chef Hollie

JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

Heather’s Summer Salmon Stir Fry

Aug 28 by Heather Harvey Leave a Comment

This summer, JoyFoodly was lucky enough to have 16-year-old Heather as our Social Media and Video Intern. Heather helped with photoshoots, created kitchen technique videos, and helped update online content. She jumped at the chance to create this recipe out of some new veggies that she discovered while working for JoyFoodly this summer.

“Do you want to make dinner tonight?”

When my parents asked me this question one evening, I suddenly found myself in the midst of a whirring kitchen, creating a recipe. Looking in the fridge, I knew I needed to use the fresh salmon my Mom had bought that day, and I wanted to use some day old rice we had as well. As I kept looking, I found some colorful veggies that I wanted to use.

After some more scavenging I decided to create a sort of stir-fry with gorgeous colors: there was the flaked pink salmon, bright orange carrots, roasted golden corn, and some forest green broccoli on a blanket of colorful rice. But when I went back in the fridge one more time, I noticed some summer squash, sitting on the bottom shelf.

I wasn’t sure what summer squash tasted like or how to cook it. Even though I like a lot of vegetables, I sometimes avoid trying new foods. While working with JoyFoodly this summer, the Joyful 12 taught me that it’s usually easiest to introduce a new veggie with a more familiar flavor. I knew I liked everything else and decided there was no reason not to be a little adventurous.

When I threw everything together, what do you know? I absolutely loved the squash! This dish turned out to be easy to throw together and a flexible dinner made with whatever you have on hand. The summer squash blended really well with the other ingredients, and there was even plenty for leftovers.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I certainly loved making it.

Heather's Summer Salmon Stir Fry

2014-08-27 00:33:52

Serves 6

We used a Yellow Crookneck squash and a green round squash for this recipe, but you can use whatever summer squash you like!

Save Recipe

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

45 min

Total Time

1 hr

Ingredients

rice, 2 cups cooked
carrots, 2
summer squash, 2
broccoli, medium heads, 2
corn, 2 ears
shallot, 1
½ lb. of salmon
olive oil, 2 TBS (divided)
orange, ½
salt, 1 ¾ tsp (divided)
Pepper, ½ tsp

Prep

Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
Start by cooking rice according to package directions.
Wash all produce.
Slice the carrots, cut off the broccoli florets, remove the corn off the cob, dice the shallot, and slice the squash into small sections.

Cook

Get the salmon out 10 minutes ahead of time, cover with about ½ TBS olive oil, and sprinkle 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper to get a nice coating.
Heat a medium-sized skillet to medium-high. Place the salmon skin side up in the skillet and don’t move to allow a crust to form.
After four minutes or when the salmon bottom turns golden brown, flip. Let cook another four minutes until skin is crispy and salmon is firm to the touch.
Set salmon aside.
Turn a pan to medium-high, and cover the bottom of the pan with the remaining olive oil. Add the sliced carrots and sauté for about a minute.
Add in the broccoli in with the carrots and continue cooking for about four minutes, until the broccoli is soft enough to pierce with a fork.
Add in the shallot and squash for about a minute, until slightly tender, then remove from stove.
Flake the salmon with a fork and add it to the vegetables.
Add the rice and fresh corn to the mix and toss together.
Zest and juice the orange half, mix with ¾ tsp of salt, and drizzle over the stir fry to serve.

JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

How to Blanch Vegetables and Fruits

Jul 7 by Chef Hollie Greene Leave a Comment

We all want to be able to throw together quick weeknight meals without the confines of a recipe. With a few simple cooking techniques, you can start to feel more confident in which veggies lend better to certain methods of cooking, such as sautéing, roasting, or blanching. And before you know it, you’ll have 2-3 go-to ways to make your veggies sing with flavor, any time of the year.

Blanching is a technique that is a cook’s friend when looking to make simple, quick meals and still retain the integrity of the vegetable being cooked. Have you ever tried to sauté a raw green bean or a head of broccoli? These glorious green veggies turn a sad color of brown with a sauté method for two reasons. First, they are a beautiful green color and sautéing helps develop a brown crust. Secondly, they are a more dense vegetable than say a zucchini or asparagus, and thus, can benefit from a quick cooking method like blanching (which also retains their green color) to help cook their insides quickly. Often, I’ll blanch one of these veggies first and then throw it into whatever I’m sautéing in the last few minutes of cooking to add extra flavor.

There are just a few things you need to know about blanching, and then it will it become an intuitive method you’ll find yourself using again and again. Watch this technique video and read more tips on blanching below:

What you need to blanch:

A medium to large pot that can hold 8-10 cups of water
Salt: ½ tablespoon per every 8 cups water
An ice bath: a bowl of water with some ice in it

How to blanch:

Bring salty water to a rapid boil
Place a vegetable or fruit in boiling water for 30 seconds, up to 3 minutes (depending on its density) to cook quickly or remove vegetable or fruit skins
Stop the cooking process by transferring cooked vegetable or fruit to an ice bath
Drain and dry before eating or continuing to cook in the next step of a recipe

Why blanch:

To cook a vegetable quickly, but still maintain its texture and color
To quickly remove the skins from a fruit or vegetable

Vegetables and fruits that lend well to blanching:

Tomatoes: to remove skins and to cook them slightly
Fruit: such as peaches, when you want to remove the peel quickly
Green beans: for a crunchy snack or before you sauté in an herbed butter
Tomatillos: before adding to a salsa or to make a quick pureed sauce to top fish or chicken
Broccoli: as an alternative to steaming or just before you add them to a veggie fried rice or pasta dish
Zucchini: when making stuffed zucchini boats, before they get stuffed and placed into the oven to bake
Fresh green peas: to maintain their color and texture before a quick sauté in mint and butter
Collard greens: before using them in a pesto or as a fun burrito wrapper

Blueberry Peach Crumble

Jun 30 by Chef Hollie Greene Leave a Comment

JoyFoodly is delighted to create recipes each month for Whole Foods Market’s ‘Now in Season’ program. Be sure to look for our recipe cards in your Northern California stores, and don’t forget to speak with your Whole Foods Market produce person when picking out your summer blueberries. They always have the best tips and easy recipes—and often offer tasty samples.

Do you ever skip making a fresh dessert because it’s just too much trouble? Me, too. The one time of year that I truly look forward to making dessert is summer. The berries, stone fruits, and melons are so sweet as they are, that it really doesn’t take much to turn them into a satisfying dessert.

In June, blueberries are at their peak of deliciousness. That’s why we created this recipe for our Joyful 12 course and for Whole Foods Market’s ‘Now in Season’ program. I normally pop fresh summer berries straight into my mouth before they can ever make it to a dessert. But this fun, summery crumble is one you’ll want to save your blueberries and ripe summer peaches for.

What I love about crumbles is their humble origin. They emerged in Great Britain during the Second World War as a preferred dish to pies due to rations of pastry ingredients. They were also some of the first desserts our ancestors made when they came to America. They couldn’t always find the ingredients that were familiar to them back home, so they’d use what was in season with a simple crust topping. That’s my kind of cooking–easy, simple, and satisfying!

The version I’m sharing with you is not only easy, but when you see those blueberries start to bubble and ooze over the sides of your ramekins, you’ll have to hold yourself back from diving spoon first into that bubbling, sweet and crunchy dessert! Kids love crumbles, too, because it involves an element of getting your hands dirty. I highly recommend having your kids help you with this recipe. They can even lick their fingers after they are done!

Blueberry Peach Crumble

2014-06-29 01:25:54

Yields 6

Save Recipe

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

50 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

50 min

Ingredients

peaches, small to medium sized, 4
blueberries, 12 oz
lemon, 1
sugar, 1/2 cup
all purpose gluten free flour, 1/4 cup

Crumble ingredients

oats, gluten free, 2 cups
sugar, 1/3 cup
light brown sugar, 1/4 cup (lightly packed)
salt, 1/2 tsp
cinnamon, 1/4 tsp
unsalted organic butter, 1 stick

Instructions

Note on substitutions: if you are making this dish in the height of summer with very sweet fruit, you can reduce the sugar that is mixed with the fruit to ¼ cup.

Prep

Take 5 minutes to get out all your ingredients, measuring and cooking equipment needed, and place them on a cookie sheet within easy reach.
Wash all produce
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Cut the peaches into medium dice, skin on.
Zest and juice the lemon.

Cook

To macerate the fruit: add the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and flour to the diced peaches and blueberries. Toss well. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
Spoon the mixture into 6 small buttered ramekins, or an 8x8 buttered baking dish.
Make the crumble: combine the oats, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and cubed stick of cold butter in a bowl. Rub the mixture together with your hands. When the butter has incorporated into the oat mixture and it is the size of peas, stop mixing.
Sprinkle evenly over the fruit.
Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake uncovered for 35 minutes at 375F, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

JoyFoodly http://www.joyfoodly.com/

This recipe is included in Chef Hollie’s Joyful 12 Kitchen Learning Lab, which just went live! Sign up now to join other families in a year of seasonal eating.